Automatic food product loading system

Abstract

A cooking unit includes a plurality of vertically oriented cooking slots and a loader for staging a volume of individual food products for transfer to the plurality of vertically oriented cooking slots. The loader is configured to position a plurality of individual food products in a first orientation, and the loader is configured to change the orientation of the plurality of individual food products to a second orientation for parallel transfer of the plurality of individual food products from the loader to the plurality of cooking slots. The loader may be rotatable rotatable between a first orientation, where each of the load slots is oriented to support a single food product, and a second orientation, where a plurality of single food products moves from a respective one of the plurality of load slots to a respective one of the plurality of vertically oriented cooking slots.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A cooking unit, comprising:
 a plurality of vertically oriented cooking slots, each of the plurality of vertically oriented cooking slots including heating or cooking surfaces positioned a spaced distance from each other on opposite sides of each of the plurality of vertically oriented cooking slots; and   a loader unit including a plurality of load slots, the loader unit rotatable between a first orientation, where each of the load slots is oriented to support a single food product, and a second orientation, where a plurality of single food products moves from a respective one of the plurality of load slots to a respective one of the plurality of vertically oriented cooking slots.   
     
     
         2 . The cooking unit of  claim 1 , including a food storage system for holding the plurality of single food products. 
     
     
         3 . The cooking unit of  claim 2 , wherein the food storage system is cooled. 
     
     
         4 . The cooking unit of  claim 2 , including at least one cartridge for the storage of uncooked single food products. 
     
     
         5 . The cooking unit of  claim 4 , including a food transfer system for moving single food products from the at least one cartridge to the loader unit. 
     
     
         6 . The cooking unit of  claim 5 , wherein the food storage system, and the food transfer system are positioned within a cooling system. 
     
     
         7 . The cooking unit of  claim 6 , including a loader system for moving the loader unit from an interior of the cooling system to an exterior of the cooling system. 
     
     
         8 . The cooking unit of  claim 7 , wherein the loader unit includes a device for changing the orientation of the loader unit. 
     
     
         9 . The cooking unit of  claim 8 , wherein the device includes one of a hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, and a linear actuator. 
     
     
         10 . The cooking unit of  claim 9 , wherein the loader system and the device are automatically controlled by a control system. 
     
     
         11 . The cooking unit of  claim 10 , wherein the loader system is configured to receive a demand for food product from a plurality of locations and to automatically transfer food product from the food storage system to the loader unit in response to the demand. 
     
     
         12 . The cooking unit of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of locations includes at least one point of sale device. 
     
     
         13 . The cooking unit of  claim 5 , wherein the food transfer system is automatically controlled by a control system to move single food products from the at least one cartridge to the loader unit. 
     
     
         14 . The cooking unit of  claim 1 , including a door positioned to retain each of the plurality of single food products within each respective one of the plurality of load slots, the door movable to open the plurality of load slots to permit each of the plurality of single food products to move from the respective one of the plurality of load slots to the respective one of the plurality of vertically oriented cooking slots. 
     
     
         15 . The cooking unit of  claim 1 , wherein rotation of the loader unit from the first orientation to the second orientation is automatic under the operation of a control system. 
     
     
         16 . A cooking unit, comprising:
 a plurality of vertically oriented cooking slots, each of the plurality of vertically oriented cooking slots including heating or cooking surfaces positioned a spaced distance from each other on opposite sides of each of the plurality of vertically oriented cooking slots; and   a loader unit including a plurality of load slots and a door, the door positioned to retain each of a plurality of single food products within each respective one of the plurality of load slots, the door movable to open the plurality of load slots to permit each of the plurality of single food products to move in parallel from each respective one of the plurality of load slots to a respective one of the plurality of vertically oriented cooking slots.   
     
     
         17 . A cooking unit, comprising:
 a plurality of vertically oriented cooking slots, each of the plurality of vertically oriented cooking slots including heating or cooking surfaces positioned a spaced distance from each other on opposite sides of each of the plurality of vertically oriented cooking slots; and   a loader configured to position a plurality of individual food products in a first orientation, and the loader configured to change the orientation of the plurality of individual food products to a second orientation for parallel transfer of the plurality of individual food products from the loader to the plurality of cooking slots.   
     
     
         18 . The cooking unit of  claim 17 , the loader including a door positioned to retain each of the plurality of single food products within the loader, the door movable to enable the parallel transfer of the plurality of individual food products from the loader to the plurality of cooking slots.